Saturday 13 January 2018

Be Prepared - Taking Bookings Now


So you've finished your first draft. Excellent. Many people begin the process full of the fever of a new story and live characters, but not everyone brings it to completion. You've done it, and that's no mean feat. Time to pat yourself on the back before moving forward with script-development and pre-release preparation. Of course, before you dive into the next draft, you'll want to make sure you have a good idea how to self-edit. That takes research and practice, studying up on the wide breadth of material available on the internet and also from recommended books in your library and local book shop. Becoming active in online writing forums is also a good way of not just receiving constructive feedback, but of honing your critiquing and editing skills, essential for being able to work through several rewrites as you bring your novel closer to its ready-to-go stage.
A lot to do, and good reason to ensure you're not caught out down the line when you'll require professional assistance in raising your work beyond the many who just write and release. You don't want to fall into that category, and thankfully things seem to be improving, with more and more writers seeking out professionals to help them bring a higher quality product to the reader.

The nature of the writing and editing business sees a constant flow of queries and bookings coming my way, some in the short term, but many taking advantage of booking their place several months down the line, if not longer. Most writers - not all - know the benefit of being prepared, of timing specific elements of pre-release so they won't find themselves under undue pressure - not just prepping for a professional edit, but with the likes of ensuring that a working team of beta-readers is in-situ to return broad-scope feedback, or that sufficient research has been carried out in locating a cover designer and formatter, not to mention developing the all-important social-media platform.
Once you have your editor booked, you can focus on self-editing and rewriting, applying pertinent points from your free sample edit to the rest of your manuscript. And because you've booked your spot, you'll have that unique charged focus brought on by a solid deadline. Nothing like it, to be honest.

I have calendar openings from April. Many slots from there are taken through hard or provisional bookings, but if you're looking for a reputable professional editor, I will do my best to accommodate you. Of course, that all depends on my sample edit of the chapter/extract you'll have submitted. Once it's returned to you, we'll both know where we stand - I'll have a pretty solid idea where you're at as a writer, and you'll know if I'm the editor for you.

You know what stage you're at in your script development, and that you have a substantial amount of work ahead of you. You'll also know that you don't want to be caught out down the line. Make it easier for yourself - send a sample chapter to clearviewediting@gmail.com and I'll start the ball rolling at my end.